Baseball | 4/17/2010 1:03:55 AM

BURLINGTON, N.C. — Sixth-seeded Averett University kept the tying run from scoring in the final inning to pull out a 9-8 victory over No. 2 seed Methodist University in a USA South Conference Tournament elimination game on Friday at Burlington Athletic Stadium.

In what began as an offensive showcase slowly morphed into a pitchers' showdown. Both teams traded leads early on, but Averett grabbed a 9-8 lead through five innings. Although Methodist (24-11) kept the Cougars off the scoreboard the rest of the way, Averett reliever Brian Knowles (5-5) shut down the Monarchs over the final four innings to earn the win.

Averett rebounded from allowing four runs to Methodist in the Monarchs' first two at-bats by tying the score at 4-4 with a four-run second inning. Methodist regained the lead on Xavier Mayo's single, which scored Brian Goodwin from second base. That 5-4 Monarch advantage lasted until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Cougars plated three runs with the help of a Methodist error and RBI groundouts by Matt Mitchell and Higgins.

Methodist took advantage of three Averett errors in the top half of the fifth inning and scored three more runs to go back in front 8-7. Yet, once again, the Cougars answered right back in the bottom of the inning.

Knowles allowed just two hits the rest of the way — a single by Trey Such in the eighth and a double by Tyler Younger in the ninth.

Knowles pitched the final 6.2 innings in relief of Chris Moyer.

Matt Quick led the Monarchs with three hits. Shawn Lovette and Younger each had a pair of hits. Landon Jordan pitched five innings for Methodist with Rusty White finishing with three scoreless innings.

The Monarchs will pick up again at Stevenson University Apr. 24-25.

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